Game Length, Does it Matter?

[JAD94]

Hey guys quick question and would like some feedback and would like to hear your opinion on the matter. When it comes to videogames, specifically RPG Maker games. Does game length ultimately effect whether or not you would purchase that game? If the game is good/fun enough yet short and has high replay value does that make up for it? Think about games that are long in length but not necessarily fun to play? I wanna hear your thoughts

 

[Ms Littlefish]

It's all about the pacing. An hour long game can draaaaaaag if the pacing is off. I can play games of any length as long as the ebb and flow is done well. 

Now, that being said. Long games are naturally going to be a lot more difficult to make than a short one. I think another thing that concerns certain people is file size. Not everyone has amazing internet connections so downloading behemoth games can be quite the task.

I think the community tends to sway toward shorter lengths but I personally am down for long epics.

 

[Oddball]

It depends on the content. If you can put 20+ hours of gameplay and make it good, go for that. otherwise, make small games at first

 

[EternalShadow]

I prefer short, good games to long, boring ones. I'm up for long, good ones as long as they don't drag, consist of 90% grinding or w/e.

 

[JAD94]

I'll give you all an example. The current project I'm working on can be beaten in either an hour or two depending on the player's skill level/if the player has played the game before. But the game offer's a lot of minigames, puzzles, 10 endings, and a bonus game. So for that content would you find that purchasable?

 

[Kes]

Nope.

EDIT

though you haven't specified the price, so actually impossible to answer sensibly.

 

[EternalShadow]

At a couple quid, probably.

 

[bgillisp]

I prefer short, good games to long, boring ones. I'm up for long, good ones as long as they don't drag, consist of 90% grinding or w/e.

Unfortunately, that describes my experience with Bravely Default and Tales of Xilla 2, both games I played last year.

As for me, length is not a big deal. I think the key is to end the game on a satisfying conclusion, and not to excessively pad the game length. If you tell yourself you want 40 hours of gametime, you might find you are padding it with grinding, very long dungeons, or even a 1 hour cutscene just to hit that mark.

 

[EternalShadow]

Yeah, I just stick to the story for gametime (cutscenes and actual story-related gameplay inc. mandatory fights) - everything else is the player's choice.

 

[JAD94]

Nope.

EDIT

though you haven't specified the price, so actually impossible to answer sensibly.

Give or take anywhere between $5-$8

 

[KanaX]

It depends on the genre, the pacing and the size of the game (story and area-wise).

• You cannot have a genuine horror game that is too long, for example. The player gets used to your style and the atmosphere. What you want is a compact, short story (that doesn't explain itself perfectly), with a strong ending that keeps the player on his/her feet.
• Same thing goes for games that take place in small areas, like a facility, or a mystery house. You can only use the same tilesets, characters and enemies for so long.
• There are games with slow, fast, steady and inconsistent pacing. Obviously, games with slower pacing are longer. But If I am allowed to get a bit personal, The Completionist has a rather fast pace. I mean, you can get two completely new party members within 15 minutes of gameplay. It wouldn't be a good plan to make it a 6 hour long experience. MY game on the the other hand, rips off the arm of consistent pacing and SMACKS it in the head with it.

In my opinion, lengthy games should be open-world RPG games with a lot of different bizzare, colorful locations, rich lore, a plethora of characters, slow pacing and many side quests.

Everything else must have a regulated length.

And  now allow me to render everything I said pointless, because when I personally play a game, I'll enjoy it, regardless of length (if it keeps my attention for the first 15' it will have it for the rest of the duration). I'm not the best critic out there, because I like games for completely irrational reasons.

 

[Kes]

Give or take anywhere between $5-$8

Then here is where brutal business takes over.  There have been several discussions about pricing over the last year or so, and a significant number of players expect to get 5 hours absolute minimum if they are going to pay $10.  You would be in head-to-head competition with a lot of games at around that sort of price with considerably more content.  And no, I really do not think it's helpful to use boring grindfests as the point of comparison.   You should be looking at good games and seeing how you compare with those.  Many players would look at your game and a good game at around the same price and twice, three times, maybe 4 times the content and decide to go for the longer one.  Replay value - while important - is rarely a deciding factor, because a lot of players do not replay games.

 Also, a significant number of RM games come with a free demo for the player to try out before buying.  That demo typically lasts around an hour.  You couldn't do that, as that would equal nearly your whole game.  So people would have to buy without trying.  That makes the game more difficult to sell.

If you are making a game to sell, then you cannot ignore the business considerations.

 

[Wavelength]

My litmus test for good value is ~$2 per (enjoyable) hour spent on the game.  Obviously really stellar or unique experiences can break this rule comfortably, but I think it's a good rule-of-thumb.

Multiple plays, time with bonus features, and endgaming time do count... but if you're going to sell your game on the strength of its replay value, be sure that your initial players are actually taking advantage of this replay value.  If your initial players seem to want to play through the main story, finish it, and then stop, then you're going to disappoint people by selling them on a long-lasting experience.

I'll add that I agree with everyone who has said "don't pad your game with artificial length" - it's just doing a disservice to players in most cases.

 

[JAD94]

Hm, I understand your point. I guess one of my biggest issues is that my game is designed to be somewhat short as to not drag it out. Since there are 10 endings, two of which lead to bonus content I wanted it to be easier for the player to retry the game and shoot for a different ending and such. So not sure if I should go commercial or not with the game. If I choose not to go commercial do you think STEAM would charge me to have my game posted up there?

 

[magnaangemon01]

I don't mind long games if they have a lot of content and you don't have to grind every hour or so. I will replay a game I really enjoy, but if the game wasn't enjoyable, you could do new game+ with replay and I wouldn't touch it again.

The main things I look at when I play a game is:

Does it tell a good story?

How is the spelling/grammar?

Is combat interesting or is it just rinse, wash, repeat?

Are there chests, merchants, and lots of gear?

How realistic are the characters?

Among a number of things. Those are just my highest. I don't like silly games, or silly content. But if it's got fantasy, drama, adventure, and excitement, I can go 120 hours plus as long as it stays good, doesn't get too ridiculous with its challenges, and still continues to provide lots of content and side objectives.

And lots of people are uploading on the workshop. If you want Steam to advertise it, they would want to sell it, which is a $100 one-time fee.

 

[JAD94]

Thanks Magnaangemon01 , I gotta see if I add some more playtime to the game. And I'll look into possibly putting the game on STEAM for retail release. 

 

[Julien Brightside]

Risk of rain can be done in 40 minutes or less, but has a lot of replay value due to all its random elements.

To the moon is done in a few hours, but damn, it has a lot of impact.

 

[Warpmind]

As an amused side note, Far Cry 4 can apparently be done in less than twenty minutes, without firing a single shot.

 

[Paladin-Cleric of Awesome]

I enjoy short games, mostly because I don't play games often so when I do I always play ff6 and infinite undiscovery, I then play little games around them.

 

[Matseb2611]

Lots of factors for me:

- The price. A 10-hour game being $10 is fine enough. A 2-hour game being $10 isn't.

- The pacing. I can't stand it when most of the game's length is due to frequent random encounters, lots of backtracking, dungeons that are longer than they should be, filler content such as pointless fetch quests, and puzzles that cause me to be stuck for half an hour to solve.

- The developer. Not everyone might admit this, but we all do it. If I know the developer makes good games, I'll be more likely to check out longer games by them, but an unknown developer or one whose games I did not enjoy, I'll most likely pass on their 30-hour epic. That's why I think it is better to start off making shorter games, making it easier for people to download them, to play them fully and to get to know you as a reliable developer, and only then partake in longer games.

- The nature of the game. I personally am biased towards linear, story-rich games, so I am unlikely to play a 30+ hour game that's entirely sandbox.

On the other hand, games that are too short might not seem worth your time, especially if they are commercial.

I personally feel that if you're going commercial with your RM game, make it 4-5 hours in length at the very least. There are a lot of free RM games out there, so charging people any amount of money for a 1-2 hour game just looks bad on you.